


The Matsuda Incident Is Still Somehow Better

by astralpenguin



Series: 3am [6]
Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms, Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: AroAce Matsuda Touta, Aromantic Matsuda Touta, Asexual Character, Asexual Matsuda Touta, Asexual Yagami Light, Demiromantic Yagami Light, Established Relationship, Greyromantic Yagami Light, Guilt, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Late Night Conversations, M/M, Matsuda Touta is a Good Friend, Near Death Experiences, Sharing a Bed, Stress, Yotsuba Arc, light also wants to go outside and right now that is a mood, light's reaction to matsuda's antics, spoiler: he's freaked out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:00:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24293989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astralpenguin/pseuds/astralpenguin
Summary: Large shocks to a person’s system often resulted in delayed responses like this. In the midst of the event itself, the brain prioritises survival and getting through it. It’s only later on, when it’s safe, that the full impact of what happened is able to be realised.L should have predicted that this would apply to Light.(not recommended as a standalone)
Relationships: L/Yagami Light, Matsuda Touta & Yagami Light
Series: 3am [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1640104
Comments: 50
Kudos: 272





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> can you tell that i was venting through light yagami again? because i was totally venting through light yagami again
> 
> also light and matsuda ARE friends and i will die on this hill
> 
> (for anyone jumping in here, light and L have agreed that light was the first kira and misa was the second kira, and light and L are in a relationship)

Light was pacing.

L was sitting on the bed, pretending not to watch Light pace back and forth.

He knew he wasn’t fooling anyone. He knew that Light knew that he wasn’t actually looking at his computer screen. He knew that Light knew that he was worried about him.

He also knew that Light knew that he was giving Light the space he needed to work through his thoughts on his own. He knew that Light would talk to him about it when he was ready.

And he also knew what was causing this.

Matsuda had given them all quite the fright.

L had to admit that Matsuda’s actions had been useful. He’d managed to single-handedly confirm that the current Kira worked at Yotsuda, had narrowed the suspect list down to just eight people, and had managed to give them an in with the company in the form of Misa.

L’s plan would’ve taken a lot longer and would’ve taken a lot more effort to get to this level of knowledge. They wouldn’t have had such a concise and easy to work with suspect list for at least another week.

Matsuda’s actions had been reckless and dangerous. They’d also been effective.

And yet Light was pacing.

For the first time, L had had to be the one to drag them up to their room.

For the first time, Light hadn’t even bothered to get into bed. 

He was just. Pacing. Back and forth and back and forth while L pretended not to look.

In any other context, L might have found Light’s pacing to be calming. Light didn’t pause or falter in his movements. He took the same amount of time to get across the room every time. He took the same amount of time to turn each time. His movements were regular and, usually, this would be soothing.

But any sense of calm that Light’s movements gave L was eclipsed by concern.

“It took Matsuda nearly dying for me to be able to go outside.”

L looked up.

This.... wasn’t exactly what L had expected Light to say.

“Come again?”

Light stopped walking and turned to face L.

“I’m not blaming you for it,” he said. “I understand why I have to stay here. I was Kira. I have to stay under your surveillance. It’s completely reasonable and I’m not trying to argue against that or say that you should let me go. But today was the first time I’ve been outside in _months_ and I didn’t realise how much I was missing it until we went out.”

“I’m sorry,” said L.

Light shook his head. “You don’t have anything to apologise for. It’s not your fault.”

“I’m the one who’s keeping you here.”

“And I should’ve thought about that before deciding to take justice into my own hands and kill all those people,” said Light. “But evidently I didn’t think about it and so here we are.”

“I can still be sorry for how this is affecting you.”

Light sighed. “I know,” he said. “Just don’t let being sorry about it make you think that letting me go is a good idea. Because what if that’s what Kira wanted? What if the first Kira planned it so that his powers and memories could return the moment I was free? It’s probably unlikely that that’s what will happen, I can’t think of how it could work, but we also don’t have any idea how Kira’s powers work in the first place, so for all we know it _is_ possible and it _is_ what Kira planned. It’s not a risk worth taking. I can dislike being in a certain situation while also appreciating the need for the situation to continue, and wanting it to continue because that’s the better option.”

“I’m already aware of all of that,” said L. “You don’t need to worry. I won’t be letting you go just yet.”

Light nodded. “Good,” he said. He began pacing again. “But this sucks.”

“It does,” agreed L.

“It’s been so long since I’ve been outside at all,” Light continued. “And we were only outside for a few minutes, and it’s not like we had any freedom to _do_ anything. We were just there to fill a role to help Matsuda fake his death before current Kira could kill him first. I only got to get out of this building because Matsuda nearly died.”

Light froze.

He was standing at the window, facing towards it, but L didn’t think that he was truly looking through it. It was just where his face happened to be pointed towards as he processed what he’d just said. He could’ve been looking at anything - a summer’s day, a rotting corpse, an exact explanation of who Kira currently was and how they kill, _anything_ \- and he wouldn’t have taken any notice of it.

“Holy shit,” he said. “Matsuda nearly died today.”

There it was. _This_ was what L had thought Light had been worrying over earlier. Apparently he’d been wrong. Today’s events seemed to have only just fully registered in Light’s mind.

Which, come to think about it, wasn’t that big of a surprise. Large shocks to a person’s system often resulted in delayed responses like this. In the midst of the event itself, the brain prioritises survival and getting through it. It’s only later on, when it’s safe, that the full impact of what happened is able to be realised.

L should have predicted that this would apply to Light.

L pushed his computer to the side, abandoning all pretense of working on something else. Right now Light needed his support. The screen had gone to sleep a long time ago anyway.

“He did,” said L.

“If he’d died, it would’ve been his own fault,” said Light. “He’s the one who went charging in when any idiot could’ve told you that it was a bad idea. That the situation worked out so well is nothing short of a miracle.”

L couldn’t think of what to say, so he said nothing. Light was working through his thoughts out loud, and the best thing to do was to let him do that.

“But it wouldn’t have just been Matsuda’s fault,” said Light. “He was only in that position, or was only able to put himself in that position, because Kira exists. And as far as we know, that’s on me. Matsuda nearly died today because of _my_ actions.”

Suddenly, Light turned away from the window and walked to the foot of the bed. He sat next to L.

L fought the urge to reassure Light that what happened today hadn’t been his fault. While it ultimately hadn’t been, not entirely, saying that it hadn’t been Light’s fault _at all_ would’ve been a lie. L had enough respect for both Light and himself not to lie to Light about this.

“Dad told me about Ukita,” said Light. “He was killed by the second Kira, right?”

“He was,” said L. “We didn’t know that the second Kira was able to kill with only a face until it was too late.”

Light held his hands out in front of him. He squeezed them into tight fists, then relaxed them and stretched his fingers out. “I didn’t kill him,” he said. “But it’s my fault he’s dead. If I hadn’t been Kira then Misa wouldn’t have joined in like she did. Ukita would still be alive. So many people would still be alive.”

“You aren’t going to achieve anything by dwelling on this,” said L.

“I know,” said Light. “Everyone I killed will be just as dead regardless of whether I think about it or not. Not thinking about it would be easier, but I _can’t._ I can’t do that right now.”

L nodded. “Okay.”

“It’s just-” Light started, then cut himself off. He took a deep breath before continuing. “I’ve known Matsuda for years, you know? Dad kinda took him under his wing when he was just starting out. He’s not as clever as you or me, but he’s earnest. He tries really, _really_ hard. He’s determined to do whatever he can to make the world better, he refuses to lose his hope in people, and he’s one of the best NPA agents that Dad’s ever known. He wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t. He’s my _friend._ And he nearly died today because of something that I started.”

“Light,” said L. “Look at me.”

Light did so.

“The guilt that you’re feeling right now is perfectly reasonable. It means that you care.”

“Of course I care, I-”

“It’s also,” said L, cutting off Light’s interruption, “not a feeling that Kira would share. Guilt is never a pleasant experience, but it is useful, both in general, for making someone not want to repeat a particular action that had a negative effect on someone else, and in your specific case, for separating _you_ from Kira. Kira would not feel bad about nearly getting a friend killed. Kira would have killed that friend himself without much issue. _Light_ wouldn’t dream of doing such a thing. _Light_ feels terrible that anything he did put his friend in danger. Light can use this feeling to motivate himself further to ensure that the first Kira never gets a chance to return. And should the first Kira attempt to impose himself, the guilt that Light feels right now can be used against him. Kira may struggle to exist in the face of it.”

Light threaded the handcuff chain through his fingers and looked down at it. “Yeah,” he said. “You’re right.”

“That is a habit of mine.”

The ghost of a smile flickered on Light’s face.

Neither of them said anything for a few moments.

“I want to apologise to him,” said Light. He looked up at L. “Matsuda, I mean. But I can’t, can I?”

L shook his head. “Not without admitting to him that you were Kira.”

“I think that might break him, if he knew. He believes in me so much. If I told him the truth, he’d be heartbroken. I don’t want to do that to him.”

“Then don’t,” said L. “While it’s usually better for the truth to be known, in this instance it’s kinder not to share it.”

“I at least need to make sure he’s alright. That’s what a good friend would do. He nearly died today, he’s probably really freaked out, and it’s not that weird that I am as well.” He sighed. “I haven’t been a very good friend to him lately, have I?”

“In fairness,” said L, “you’ve been somewhat preoccupied.”

That actually did get a laugh out of Light.

It was only a soft laugh, and it didn’t last very long, but it was there.

L thought that the world seemed just a little brighter when Light was smiling.

“I have,” he said. “But there’s only so long that it can be an excuse for. Matsuda’s been there for me for a long time. The least I can do is return the favour.” He paused. “Can I make a request?”

“To do with Matsuda?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t give you any time alone with him.”

Light rolled his eyes. “I know that,” he said. “Any friendship building or checking in with him will be done with you present.”

L smiled. “Just making sure. What’s the request?”

“Can we please find something for him to do other than make coffee for the group? He’s the weakest taskforce member, but he’s not useless, and he makes up for a lot with how hard he works.”

L nodded. “I was considering the same thing myself. His actions today were careless and dangerous, but the information he gathered should aid us tremendously. I can absolutely find more worthwhile tasks for him to do. Although it must be said that Matsuda’s coffee is the second best I’ve had, so I’m unlikely to stop asking that he make it.”

“Oh yeah?” said Light. “Whose coffee is the best?”

“Watari’s of course.”

“Right,” said Light, a proper smile starting to emerge. “Of course.”

L gently tugged on the chain. Light got the message, and shuffled closer so L could put his arm around him.

“Would it be okay if I told him about us?” asked Light.

“I would be fine with that,” said L. “Are you planning on it?”

“I don’t know,” said Light. “Maybe not, at least for a while. I’d probably want to be out to him first. I don’t want to have to explain terminology and talk about my relationship all at once.”

Light rested his head on L’s shoulder.

“It’s up to you what you tell other people and when you tell them,” said L. “Not wanting to do it all at the same time is understandable. I’d even call it sensible.”

Light yawned.

“It’s also something that can be more efficiently considered after Light has slept.”

Light grumbled a little, but allowed L to move him under the bedcovers without any resistance.

He fell asleep quickly, curled around L’s side.

L wasn’t tired. His laptop was also out of reach, and he couldn’t move without taking the risk of waking Light. So he faced spending the night with nothing to do but listen to the sound of his partner breathing.

In all honesty, it was the opposite of a problem.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _looks at accidental mini-hiatus_
> 
> hahaha oops?
> 
> anyway, enjoy!

When Aizawa sent Matsuda out to get coffee, Light waited a couple of minutes before standing.

He hadn’t told L that he wanted to take this opportunity to talk to Matsuda away from the others, but L seemed to understand what Light was thinking anyway. Without so much as looking over at Light, he pressed some buttons causing his computer screen to do dark, closed the notepad he’d been making a few stray notes in, and stood.

Light led them out the room. The other three taskforce members didn’t acknowledge that they were going anywhere. They were probably assuming that either he or L needed to pee, or that L wanted to create some kind of sugary monstrosity that Watari would never agree to make for him, so he had to make it himself. Or they were focused on what they were doing, and so didn’t feel the need to interrupt themselves for something that ultimately didn’t matter.

Light pushed open the door to the kitchen, and pushed his speculation about exactly why the taskforce hadn’t reacted to him  _ standing  _ out of his mind. It was the opposite of important.

Maybe he was thinking way too hard about it so that he wouldn’t think about the conversation he was about to try and have.

Maybe he had a tendency to think way too hard about things in general.

He was noticing that about himself.

“Hey Matsuda,” he said, holding the door open for L to follow him into the room.

Matsuda looked up from the coffee machine. “Hey Light,” he said. “Hey Ryuuzaki.”

L made a beeline for the fridge, apparently having decided that he  _ did  _ want to create a sugary monstrosity, and that he could kill two birds with one stone while Light talked to Matsuda. Light figured that he’d just let him get on with it.

“How are you?” asked Light.

“I’m okay,” said Matsuda with a smile. He looked back down at the coffee machine and pressed a button. “You know how it is. Same old, same old.”

“You’re really okay?”

“Of course,” he said. “Why do you ask?”

“You nearly died yesterday. If you  _ are _ okay, then that’s great, but I don’t think that’s true.”

Matsuda looked back up at Light. His smile had dimmed. He glanced over at L.

“Don’t worry about him,” said Light, not looking around. If he saw whatever L was creating then he knew that it would distract him, and this conversation was too important for that. “He’s talked me through multiple breakdowns already and he doesn’t think any less of me for it.”

Matsuda looked back towards Light. 

He slumped.

“Yeah,” he said. “Maybe I’m not so okay. I kinda freaked out about it last night”

“That’s completely understandable.”

“I’ve been trying to look at it positively, you know?” Matsuda’s smile perked back up. It looked like a forced imitation of his normal smile. “Not many people can say that they faked their death! Not many people can say that they fell out of a skyscraper, but didn’t get hurt! I’ve had some unique experiences that will probably be great to talk about once the Kira case is all over. But-”

The coffee machine beeped, making both Light and Matsuda jump.

Matsuda looked blankly at the machine.

Light reached over, put a mug in position, and hit the button for the coffee to start pouring. “But?” he said.

“But I had to fake my death because otherwise I was going to be murdered,” said Matsuda, his voice quieter than it had been before. “If I’d fallen out of the building at a slightly different angle, I would’ve died for real. I’m lucky to be alive.”

The machine beeped again, signalling that the pour was finished and it was ready to go again.

Matsuda swapped out the mugs and set it off.

“I’ll be okay eventually,” he said, his voice back to its regular volume. “It was a shock, and I’m probably going to be on my mind for a while, but I’m alive, and I’ve learnt from this, and I’m going to be okay.”

“You’re sure?”

“Of course I’m sure,” he said. The machine beeped and he moved the full coffee mug out of the way. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

Light shrugged. “You’re my friend, of course I’m gonna worry about whether you’re okay or not.”

Matsuda blinked.

“We’re still friends?”

Light felt something inside of him fracture.

“Of course we’re still friends!”

“Oh,” said Matsuda, “Sorry. I wasn’t sure, because-”

“No,” said Light, “it’s my fault. Aside from Aoyama we haven’t exactly talked much since Kira started. You’ve been busy working on the case, I have no excuse, I could’ve reached out more.”

“Not really. You’ve been locked up for months now.”

“And before that there was an even longer stretch of time where I  _ wasn’t, _ and I could’ve easily sent you an email asking how you were getting on or asked to meet up. I’m sorry I didn’t. I’m going to do better from now on.”

“It’s okay,” said Matsuda, averting his eyes, “I get it. You’re allowed to want to spend your time with your other friends instead. I know I’m probably not cool enough, and that’s fine.”

Light couldn’t help the bubble of laughter that escaped him after hearing that.

“I can count the number of people that I see as being proper friends of mine on one hand, and one of those people is my fifteen year old sister.  _ And _ I haven’t spoken to Yamamoto since high school so he probably doesn’t even count as a friend anymore.”

Matsuda frowned. “What about all the people who you brought to Aoyama?”

Light shrugged. “We’re not close.

“Oh.”

“So we’re okay?” asked Light. “We’re friends?”

Matsuda nodded. “We’re friends,” he said.

Light was flooded with relief. He’d been terrified for a moment that Matsuda hadn’t wanted to be his friend anymore. That would’ve been awful, and he was glad that it wasn’t the case. He  _ wasn’t  _ glad that Matsuda had thought that Light hadn’t wanted to be  _ his  _ friend anymore, but Light had already known that he’d been neglecting their friendship. He just had to make sure that it didn’t happen again.

But checking how Matsdua was coping with the previous day’s events and reaffirming their friendship weren’t the only things that Light had wanted to do in this conversation.

He took a deep breath.

“I, uh,” he said, “actually have something I wanted to talk to you about. If that’s okay?”

“Sure,” said Matsuda. “What’s up?”

“I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting lately, and this is something that’s been bothering me for ages. Years, really. I ended up talking to Ryuuzaki about it, and he was able to talk me through it, and I didn’t even know there was a  _ word  _ for it until he told me, so it’s okay if you don’t have any idea what I’m talking about, but I wanted to tell you anyway, because it’s an important part of me that at the moment only one other person knows, and I trust you, and-”

“Hey,” said Matsuda, putting a hand on Light’s shoulder. “Whatever it is, it’s okay. You don’t need to justify yourself. You can just say it.”

Light hadn’t even realised that he’d started rambling and trying to preemptively explain himself until Matsuda cut him off to reassure him that he didn’t need to. Matsuda’s face was serious, his usual jokey manner nowhere to be seen, and Light knew that his trust wasn’t misplaced.

He also knew that Matsuda probably thought that Light was about to tell him that he was gay.

Which, to be fair, wasn’t far off.

“I’m asexual.”

Matsuda took his hand off Light’s shoulder, his face breaking into a smile. “You are?” he said. “That’s great! I’m asexual too!”

Of all the possible reactions that Light had considered that Matsuda might have, this one hadn’t occurred to him.

“You are?”

“Yup!” Matsuda nodded. “And aromantic. I’m both.”

“But aren’t you always talking about how pretty you think Misa is.”

Matsuda laughed. “I’m ace, not blind,” he said. “She  _ is  _ pretty. It doesn’t mean I’m attracted to her.”

Light smiled. Matsuda got it. “Same here,” he said. “She’s pretty, but I don’t like her like that.”

“Are you aro as well? If you don’t mind me asking?”

“Aro?”

“It’s short for aromantic,” said Matsuda. “Just like ace is short for asexual. I’m both, so I call myself aroace.”

“I’m demiromantic and greyromantic.”

“You’re arospec, then?”

Light nodded. He hadn’t heard the word ‘arospec’ said out loud before, but he  _ had  _ read about the asexuality and aromanticism spectrums, and it didn’t take a genius to make the connection that ‘arospec’ was just a shorter way of saying it.

“Sweet!” said Matsuda. “High five for ace buddies!”

He held his hand up. Light laughed softly, and high fived him.

“I had no idea you were ace,” said Light.

“Yeah, well, I don’t really talk about it much.” Matsuda gave a sheepish looking smile. “It can be difficult to explain to people that you’re just not interested in any of that stuff. It’s easier to smile and nod while they talk about how I should really have a girlfriend by now, and then try to steer the conversation to something else.”

Light winced as he remembered several separate occasions where Matsuda had been invited over for dinner, and Light’s parents had said that exact thing to him. At the time, Light had thought that Matsuda’s reaction was because he was embarrassed that he was still single. Only now did Light realise the real reason why Matsuda had been so uncomfortable with it.

“How did you know you were aroace?”

“It took a while to figure it out,” said Matsuda. He reached for one of the coffee mugs, and frowned when his hand touched it. “This is lukewarm,” he said. “I was supposed to be getting coffee for Aizawa.”

“If it’s gone too cold then remake it,” said Light. “If he says anything I’ll say it was my fault, seeing as it  _ was.” _

Matsuda crossed to the sink and poured the contents of the mugs away, and began setting up the coffee machine for a fresh pot. “Anyway,” he said, “yeah it took me a while. I never got any crushes as a kid, and that continued as I got older. One day I came across those terms and I thought that maybe they fit me? But it was at least another year before I was able to accept it.” He smiled. “It’s pretty difficult to figure out that there’s an absence of something. It would’ve been easier to figure out that I was gay, because at least there would’ve been some sort of attraction there that would’ve been evidence for it. When there isn’t any attraction and you never know any different, it’s a lot harder to tell.”

Light nodded. “I know exactly what you mean. I was really struggling with this for a long time. I thought I was broken.”

“You’re not broken.”

“I know that now.”

“Good.” The coffee machine beeped, and Matsuda put the first mug under the spout and pressed the button to start it pouring. “So,” he said, “how do you know that you’re not just straight up aro? I’m not trying to dictate who you are to you, only you know that, but this isn’t a ‘never say never’ kind of situation. Saying never and realising you’re wrong later is okay, and probably healthier than holding out for something that might not happen.”

“No, I get what you mean,” said Light, “but I do like someone, so I’m definitely not completely aro.”

“Fair enough,” said Matsuda. The coffee machine beeped and he switched the mugs. “Who is this mystery person you like? Is it Misa?”

The tone of Matsuda’s voice and the expression on his face told Light that he already knew the answer, and was only teasing. Light sighed good-naturedly, playing along. “No,” he said. “I’m gay as well as the rest of it.”

“Does Misa know?”

Light shook his head. “I’m gonna tell her when the case is over.”

“If you want someone with you when you do, let me know. I’ll happily be there.”

That wasn’t something that Light had even considered before, but now that he thought about it, he absolutely did not want to have that conversation with Misa alone, even without factoring in the inevitable Kira complications. “That would be great,” he said. “Thank you.”

“It’s no problem. Coming out can be difficult enough as it is, and we all know how Misa feels about you. If you need support, you’ve got it.” The coffee machine beeped, and Matsuda removed the mug. “We should probably head back before they send someone to look for us.”

Light didn’t think it was likely that anyone would get sent to look for them, but he agreed that they should be getting back. He picked up the mug that was on the counter. “I can give this to Aizawa,” he said.

They both turned towards the door.

And stopped.

While talking to Matsuda, Light had felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders. His friend knew about and supported this part of him. What’s more, his friend was asexual too. He wasn’t alone! He hadn’t realised how much he’d needed that until he had it. And the shock and relief of having someone there who understood what he was going through, probably better than anyone else he knew ever could, had meant that he’d almost forgotten that L was in the room as well. The fact that L had gone straight to the fridge when they arrived had completely slipped his mind.

On the counter in front of L was an almost full open ice cream carton. On top of the ice cream was a large amount of squirty cream - the presumably empty can had been left out to the side - that was in turn drowned in so much chocolate and strawberry syrup that Light felt faintly sick just looking at it. L was in the process of thinly slicing a banana on top of his creation, and had a pot of sprinkles sitting next to him, ready to be added as a finishing touch.

He didn’t seem to notice that Light and Matsuda were looking at him.

Light cleared his throat and tugged on the chain.

L looked around at him. He blinked, then returned his focus to slicing the banana. “I was left unattended.”

Matsuda let out a small laugh. “Feelings are so rare for you, and yet this is where they lie.”

“Yeah,” said Light, before the meaning of Matsuda’s words fully sunk in. He turned to him. “How-?”

“You said you like someone, and there’s nobody else it could realistically be. I didn’t know until today, and no one else knows.” His eyes widened. “Wait, did I-?”

“Light and I are together,” said L without taking his eyes off what he was doing. “You haven’t broadcasted anything about him to me that I didn’t already know.”

Matsuda blinked, then nodded. “So it’s all fine,” he said to Light.

Light swallowed. “Okay,” he said, and he turned back towards L.

“Are you planning on taking that into the main room?” asked Matsuda.

“If you’re both done in here then I suppose I shall have to.” L added the sprinkles and placed the pot back into a cupboard.

Light shook his head, not bothering to try and hide the smile on his face. “If Watari starts yelling at you over that, I’m not going to stop him or defend you. Actually, if any of them do, you’re fending for yourself.”

L got a spoon out of a drawer and picked up his heavily topped ice cream carton. “I think I’ll survive. Shall we?” He walked over to the door, kicked it open, and walked through.

Light had no choice but to follow. Matsuda went with him.

“If he ever does anything out of line, let me know,” said Matsuda. “I’ll sort him out for you.”

Light smiled. They both knew that if there was a direct confrontation between L and Matsuda, then L would win, and they also both knew their current situation made things more complicated than they would be in ordinary relationships. But it was nice to know that Matsuda had his back anyway. “Sure,” he said, gently nudging Matsuda with his elbow.

It  _ was _ nice to know that Matsuda had his back.

He just hoped that Kira would never get the opportunity to exploit that.

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos mean the absolute world to me !!!!
> 
> come say [hi !!](https://astralpenguin.tumblr.com/)


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